Thanks to the person who forwarded this.
No Passport, No Entry. It is the latest catchy slogan with a hashtag that I see being tagged on social media posts relating to the current immigration/asylum/refugee issue that is prevalent in Ireland at the moment. And I get it, it's simplistic, it's a straightforward issue. I can't enter any country without a passport, I can't even get back into my own country without a passport. So why are all these asylum seekers able to show up at our airports, disembark a plane, and say they have no identification? No Passport, No Entry, that's something we can all get behind at face value, or is it?
I had the pleasure to spend an afternoon yesterday with a few dozen asylum seekers over some tea, coffees, cake and biscuits, and get to chat with them as part of a lovely social gathering. We played some football, basketball, listened to music and shared some chats. I got speaking to one young guy who was watching a football being kicked around and asked him "Do you play football?". He said he did previously, but can not play right now as he has a back injury which he is currently receiving treatment for. After a couple of seconds of silence he said "The Taliban broke my back!". This young guy, 21 years of age, who came to Ireland roughly 4 months ago, had his back broken in a stoning punishment because he decided he no longer wished to be Muslim, he no longer wished to believe in religion, he is "a man of science". He told me how he was locked in a darkened room and tortured for 4 days. "The Taliban either burn you alive, or stone you to death as punishment. I was lucky, they just broke my back in the stoning."
I asked how he came to Ireland, and he said his family had to sell their properties in Afghanistan and pay "contractors" to get him out of the country. "The more you pay, the further away from Afghanistan they take you". His family sold their properties and paid $10,000 for just one of their sons to be smuggled to safety. "So why Ireland I asked?" "We did not have a choice, or even know where we were going. We went through forests, across rivers and deserts. It was an incredibly tough journey over several months. Anyone who asked a question or complained was shot dead on the spot. Anyone who became sick, injured, or too weak to continue, was shot dead on the spot".
Trying to lighten the mood we talked some more about sport and he told me how he wants to join an athletics club in Ireland and take part in 100m and 200m competitions. "I was only doing athletics for 2 months in Afghanistan. I took it up because I was a little overweight. In those 2 months I reduced my 100m sprint time for 14 seconds to 11.5 seconds. I think I could be really good if I can train here." He spoke about Rhasidat Adeleke and how he had seen the story of her breaking the Irish 400m record just the day before. "Her club is in Tallaght. How much would it cost me to join there?" When it comes to work and study in Ireland he said he has 2 more months to go before he can officially work and that he will work at anything. People tell him that there are lots of jobs, particularly in security, and he will do his PSA licence to qualify to apply for security jobs. He also wants to study something in medicine, or maybe physiotherapy. "In Afghanistan I was doing an MBA in medicine. I would like to do some similar qualification here. Then maybe in 2 or 3 years time I can start my own physiotherapy clinic, or work in a hospital or private clinic."
Conversation returned to Afghanistan and his family, I asked about his parents, and if they will ever try to escape Afghanistan. I was told they also renounced their religious faith, and if they could escape Afghanistan they would. They now spend their time travelling Afghanistan, never spending more than 1 month in any one location as they try to avoid the Taliban army. "What age are your parents"? I asked next, being very aware that I may be asking too many questions and that we were discussing what must be an incredibly emotional subject. "My father is maybe 53, or 54? In Afghanistan nobody can really be sure of their age because all documents were destroyed many years ago. My mother is maybe 49. They could not do the journey I had to do in order to leave Afghanistan. My mother has arthritis, and my younger brothers are only 13 and 15. It is not possible for them. It is not easy for women to leave Afghanistan, it is very difficult for them."
I spent the rest of my evening thinking about this conversation, and thinking how little we know about these people. How little we know about what they went through in their own country, and what they went through to get to safety. How little we know of their plight, but how quick we are to judge and stereotype. We are so lucky to be born in the country we are in. Our country is not perfect, we have many issues relating to government, housing, healthcare, homelessness and anti-social behaviours. Our government has a lot to answer for, and urgently needs to provide competent public services. Stop the brain drain of our doctors and nurses, who leave the country once qualified and provide their skillset to other countries, who have better medical facilities, working conditions, funding and pay scales. Our government needs to build more hospitals (that don't cost €2Bn +), provide more local doctor services, build more public housing, stop letting private investors dominate the housing market. Provide better funding to our schools. Provide better homeless shelters, especially dry shelters for those trying to avoid drink and drugs.
With highlighting all that our country needs, we, as individuals, should still stop and think just how lucky we actually are. Do we have a right to say to people, who were not born as lucky as us, that this is their tough luck? We feel sorry for you, but we can not welcome you here because if you have No Passport, there is No Entry for you. Is arriving at Dublin airport any different to asylum seekers who arrive inside a truck container? Or one's who travel on a makeshift boat across the Mediterranean or Alboran seas? If someone can not even be sure of their age, can we be as simplistic as to tell them, No Passport, No Entry?
No comments:
Post a Comment